2022 Nuna Pipa + Pipa Series Base Review
The Nuna PIPA with Pipa Series Base delivers everything you could ask for in a high-end infant carseat. Nuna produces a collection of modern and stylish baby gear inspired by Dutch designers who wanted to combine cutting edge safety technology with style and functionality. The idea is to keep things simple, practical and stylish while still being innovative. With rigid lower LATCH attachments, a load leg, lots of padding and a canopy bigger than Texas – this seat set the bar for all future high-end infant carseats.
PIPA was the first Nuna carseat but now there is an entire Nuna carseat lineup, which includes the other PIPA models plus convertible car seats and even a booster for big kids!
So, why all the excitement for an infant seat? Well, as my carseatblog colleagues can attest, I usually have lots of “feedback” to offer manufacturers when we speak with them in person (which is a nice way to say that I have an abundance of opinions) but when it comes to the Nuna PIPA – I’m uncharacteristically quiet.
Of course, there is no such thing as one perfect carseat for all parents because we all have different tastes, opinions, preferences, and budgets to work with. However, for me, PIPA comes very close to being that elusive “perfect” carseat. It’s almost enough to make me want another baby. Okay, so that’s a lie but seriously – new moms today have all the good stuff and they should consider themselves very lucky to have so many excellent carseats to chose from in various price ranges.
The Nuna PIPA Infant Car Seat + PIPA Series Base is available only at specialty retailers.
2022 Nuna PIPA Specs & Features:
Rear-facing only: 4-32 lbs and 32″ or less (1″ rule also applies)- 3 harness height positions
- 2 crotch strap/buckle positions (plus adjustable crotch strap length for smaller babies and preemies)
- Adjustable base with “stability leg” (a.k.a load leg)
- Base has rigid lower LATCH anchor connectors
- Base has sturdy lockoff for installations using seatbelt
- Can be installed without base using standard or Euro beltpath routing
- No flame-retardant chemicals added
- Thick energy-absorbing EPS foam lines entire upper portion of shell
- Canopy with unique “dream drape” feature
- FAA approved for use in an airplane
- 7-year lifespan before expiration
2022 Nuna PIPA fashions
Fashions shown left to right: Caviar, Granite, Birch, Frost
Each element on PIPA is sourced to be both flame-resistant and contain no added fire-retardant chemicals. PIPA has received GREENGUARD GOLD certification. Products with GREENGUARD Certification are scientifically proven to meet rigorous third-party chemical emissions standards.
PIPA has all the bases covered when it comes to features. In addition to everything listed above, it has the following convenience features:
- Very easy to attach and remove carrier from base
- Harness strap adjustment is officially “smooth as butter”
- Handle can be in any locked position while in the vehicle
- Best-in-class canopy
- Nice harness straps – not prone to twisting
- Memory foam for comfort
- Can be paired with several high-end strollers to create a “travel system”
- Cover is well padded for comfort
Each Nuna PIPA comes standard with an infant insert, a buckle pad and harness strap covers. It also comes with plastic funnel guides in case your vehicle’s lower anchors are recessed and it’s difficult to attach the rigid lower anchor connectors. All of these extras are entirely optional but the infant insert is recommended for smaller newborns and should be removed before you need to move the crotch strap/buckle to the second position. Low-birthweight babies and preemies will benefit from the additional low-birthweight pillow which is inserted into a pocket on the backside of the infant insert. The low-birthweight pillow will not be necessary for most full-term newborns and should only be used to boost a very small newborn a little higher if his or her shoulders are below the bottom harness slots.
PIPA Series Base:
Rigid lower anchor attachments with red/green indicators so you know it’s properly attached to the lower LATCH anchors in your vehicle, load leg (Nuna calls it the “Stability Leg”) with red/green indicator, nice lock-off for seatbelt installations, 2-position recline adjustment and bubble level indicators on both sides of the base.
Additional PIPA bases are available for $159.95
RELX Series Base: 
Compatible with all PIPA carriers, the RELX base features 4-position adjustable rigid LATCH attachments, an anti-rebound panel, plus a locking load leg that adjusts a few inches shorter and 1 inch longer than the original PIPA series base. RELX base also features a 4-position recline system and a different style seatbelt lockoff.
Additional RELX bases are available for $199.95
PIPA “Dream Drape”
One of the unique and innovative features of this particular seat, the “Dream Drape,” is tucked into the canopy in a zippered compartment. The magnets that hold the Dream Drape in place are located on the sides of the seat – not inside the drape. Large metal washers are carefully sewn into the drape. The washers are too large for a baby to choke on and they are double-compartmentalized to ensure your baby won’t somehow manage to get them out of the drape.
PIPA Measurements:
- Harness slot heights: 7″, 9″, 10.5″
- Lowest harness slot height with infant insert and low birthweight pillow: about 6″
- Crotch strap/buckle positions (without insert): 5″, 6.5″
- Internal shell height: 19″
- Width of base at beltpath: 12″
- Width of base at widest point: 12.5″
- Width of carrier at widest point: 16.5″
- Carrier weight: 9.4 lbs. with infant insert and low birthweight pillow; 8.6 lbs. without infant insert
Fit-to-Child Comments:
The low bottom harness slots combined with the inner buckle position and the adjustable crotch strap length ensures that PIPA will fit the vast majority of newborns and even preemies very nicely.
The 1-piece infant insert is optional but helpful for smaller newborns. The low birthweight pillow won’t be needed for most newborns but can be used as necessary for low birthweight babies who need an extra little boost to get their shoulders even with the bottom harness slots. The low birthweight pillow is inserted into a pocket in the back of the infant insert and should only be used until the baby doesn’t need it to fit well in the harness. Most newborns will use the infant insert without the pillow. Larger newborns won’t need the infant insert at all. The harness strap covers are purely optional and remove quickly and easily thanks to the Velcro on one side. For what it’s worth, I almost always remove the harness strap covers on a newborn (if they’re optional) because they just tend to get in the way more than anything else.
4 lbs., 17″ preemie doll with crotch strap shortened and infant insert with low birthweight pillow inside. Harness straps covers and buckle cover removed.
How to shorten the crotch strap length for smaller newborns: Start with the crotch strap in the inner-most position; take the metal anchor from the back of the shell and route it up into the opening for the 2nd buckle/crotch strap position.
20″ Newborn-Sized Doll: No inserts needed – pictured with and without crotch strap shortened
Baby D: 11 months, 24 lbs, 28.5″ tall
Installation Comments:
Recline angle indicator on both sides of the base – bubble should be touching the line.
2-position adjustable PIPA series base – flat vehicle seats won’t need the little kickstand to be down but sloped vehicle seats will need this flipped down in order to achieve a proper recline angle as per the bubble level indicator. For very sloped vehicle seats (like the 3rd row of a newer Grand Caravan/T&C), you will need to use pieces of foam pool noodles or a large rolled towel to get a proper recline angle.
Stability leg – the load leg vastly improves crash protection by limiting the seat’s ability to rotate downward during a frontal crash. Having the crash forces spread out over the baby’s entire back, rather than having them concentrated on the shoulders during peak rotation greatly reduces neck loads. The load leg also reduces the likelihood that the carseat will contact the back of the front seat or strike the hard center console in a crash. In addition to all that – a load leg also greatly diminishes rebound. Since the seat barely rotates downward – there just isn’t much energy to cause a rebound effect. The load leg “takes the wind right out of the sail.” For more on load legs, check out our Load Legs 101 article.
Adjust the load leg so that it’s making contact with the floor (the indicator on the bottom will turn green) but don’t jack the base up off the vehicle seat.
Installation with lower LATCH connectors:
Quick and simple are an understatement. The installation in my minivan takes me less than 10 seconds. Removing the base – detaching the rigid LATCH connectors from the lower anchors, takes even less time. No joke.
When connecting the LATCH connectors to the lower anchors in the vehicle – confirm that they are properly secured by checking the indicators on each connector. Red turns to green when they are attached properly. This is very helpful in situations where your lower anchors are recessed in the seat bight and you can’t see them to visually confirm that you’re properly latched on. The plastic funnel guides that come with this seat are also very helpful if you have recessed lower anchors. To release the connectors from the anchor bars push the grey release button located near the red/green indicator.
Since this base has rigid LATCH connectors, you cannot install using lower anchors in a center seating position with non-standard LATCH spacing. In these cases, you will have to install the base with a seatbelt.
Nuna also allows the PIPA base to be installed using both rigid LATCH and seatbelt (together!) unless your vehicle manufacturer specifically prohibits this type of installation. I’m honestly not sure how much benefit if any, this combination provides but we know from field experience that parents love to use both systems simultaneously so the fact that this isn’t a misuse with this particular seat is just another bonus.
Installation with seatbelt using lockoff:
The lockoff is required to be used if installing the base with a seatbelt.
Overhang – The rule of thumb that Child Passenger Safety Technicians are taught is the “80% Rule.” Unless otherwise specified by the carseat manufacturer, at least 80% of the base (or footprint of the carseat) must be over vehicle seat cushion. In other words – no more than 20% of the base can hang off over the edge of the vehicle seat. Since the PIPA base is long this was an issue in the center of my husband’s 2016 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab and it was also a concern in my neighbor’s 2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. I asked Nuna for clarification and they confirmed that if you’re using the load leg, you don’t have to worry about overhang. However, if you’re not using the load leg for some reason, then follow the 80% rule.
Installation without base:
European beltpath routing is recommended (but not required) for installations without the base.
Stroller Compatibility:
PIPA can be paired with the Nuna Mixx, Mixx2, Triv, Tavo & Demi Grow strollers to create a “travel system”.
Using “Maxi-Cosi” adapters, this Nuna PIPA model is also compatible with the following strollers:
Nuna PIPA Advantages:
- Fits a wide range of baby sizes, including preemies very well
- Extended usage thanks to generous weight & height limits
- Innovative base with load leg and rigid LATCH connectors
- Very easy to install base properly (rigid LATCH installation or with seatbelt)
- Very easy to attach and detach carrier from base
- Lockoff for quick and easy seatbelt installation
- Euro beltpath routing allowed for baseless installs
- Harness is easy to adjust properly and “smooth like butter”
- One-piece shell doesn’t promote head slump
- Thick energy-absorbing EPS foam and memory foam
- Best-in-class canopy thanks to innovative “dream drape”
- Harness straps are removable and replaceable if necessary
- Compatible with Nuna and other high-end strollers
PIPA Disadvantages:
(In fairness, these may not be a problem for everyone but I list some potential disadvantages that may be an issue for some parents):
- Not widely available
- Made in China (although to be fair, so are most other high-end infant carseats)
- Lacks a no-rethread harness – which really isn’t a big deal; it just means that you have to detach the harness from the splitter plate and route the straps through the next set of harness slots as baby grows. The trade-off is that the harness is very easy to tighten and loosen and it can be removed and replaced if necessary – something that isn’t an option for many infant seats with a no-rethread harness feature.
The Bottom Line:
The Nuna PIPA is an exceptional infant seat which features both rigid LATCH connectors and a load leg. Two highly desirable features that when combined, make one very safe, very secure installation. Honestly, if it’s in your budget, there isn’t much to dislike about PIPA other than the fact that it isn’t widely available so it might be difficult to try one in your vehicle before you commit to the purchase. If you can’t “try before you buy,” make sure you research the store’s online return policy – just in case it doesn’t work out for some reason.
The Nuna PIPA is on our list of Recommended Carseats! Since it fits preemies and low birthweight babies so well, PIPA is also on our list of Recommended Infant Carseats for Preemies & Multiples.
The Nuna PIPA retails for $319.95 and more information can be found at https://www.nunababy.com/usa/pipa
Thank you, Nuna for providing this seat for review. No other compensation was provided and the opinions and comments are entirely those of CarseatBlog.
CarseatBlog Experts Rating
Editors’ Pick Premium Category: Pipa RX
Also Recommended: Pipa, Pipa Lite LX
Ok- so I went to Buy Buy Baby because when I called they said they had both the Nuna Pipa and the Cybex Aton Q and they let you try them out in the car.
I was surprised to find the Pipa did not have the dream drape and it had a harder different fabric than pictures here. It did not have Nuna written on the canopy as pictured here either. I asked the gentleman helping me if it was maybe an older model and he said they just got them in. He looked online with me and I showed him this blog. We found the dream drape one at Nordstrom (but no stores anywhere near me) and a couple other places. But just wondering why such a different look and feature? He looked and the one he had was manufactured in 2015.
I installed both in my car with latch. The rigid latch on the Pipa makes for a much more secure fit in the car and really easy to do. It was a difficult for me to remove the rigid latch but I was able to do it.
I liked the look and feel of the Aton Q more than the Pipa that was in that store. And of course I wanted to see the dream drape so I’m a bit disappointed in the different model being in the store. Plus it was $349.
Do you think it was an older model? I might just have to order online from Nordstrom and hope I love it as much as I think I will lol
Hi Jackie – BuyBuyBaby currently carries the “Stokke Pipa” which is marketed towards people who want a Stokke stroller but want a compatible infant carseat to go with it. It’s not an older model – it’s a similar carseat being sold under a different brand name. Unfortunately, as you have discovered, the Stokke model has different fabric and is missing the dream drape. I’m not sure why Stokke made those decisions. If you order a “Nuna Pipa” from Nordstrom you will definitely get the dream drape. HTH!
Thanks for the info! I do have a Nordstrom near me but they don’t have car seats so I will order online and if I need to return hopefully I can go to the store. I am hoping I won’t have to return though 😀
Hi,
Thanks so much for your review! I just installed the nuna pipa, and had a couple of questions. My baby is due any moment, and I am feeling worried about a couple of things in the installation.
1) The load leg doesn’t lock off, so if I jostle the carseat it easily jacks up the load leg. This seems like a bad idea in the case of a car crash because it can extend so far that the car seat hardly touches the actual vehicle seat. Am I missing something , or is this really how the car seat is supposed to work?
2) The carseat is installed in the passenger side rear seat of our nissan leaf. I have contacted both the vehicle manufacturer and the car seat manufacturer and both state that the car seat is compatible with the vehicle. With the rigid latch system and the seatbelt installation I can wiggle the car seat a fair amount. I am used to getting car seats installed with almost zero movement. Is this really safer than a car seat that doesn’t allow any wriggle room?
Thank you for any insight you may have, and again thank you for your review!
Kate Lovejoy
Hi and congratulation on your imminent arrival!
1. You are correct that the load leg doesn’t fully lock into position and if you raise the base up manually, the load leg will extend down further which will jack the seat up. But don’t worry about that because in a crash the seat is going to be trying to rotate downward, not upward
2. When you say you can “wiggle the car seat a fair amount” do you mean that you can slide it back and forth across the lower LATCH anchor bars about half an inch? This is normal for all seats that have rigid latch attachments because the lower anchor bars in the vehicle are wider than the connectors on the carseat. If you’re talking about something else, please let me know so I can try to understand what the issue is.
Hi, I had the same issue when I installed the base. With the latch system installed and you shake the base left and right, it wiggles about 1/2 to 1 inch. I brought it to a car seat inspection site and they said that they’ve been seeing that happening to the Nuna base on other cars and they didn’t like it. He solved it by opening the recline adjustment and it was secure. I have a 2015 5 door Subaru Impreza. The base is now firmly secure, but I’d like to investigate on what makes the base secure when the recline is used. Please let me know if anyone has any insight.
As far as the car seat wiggling. It also wiggles 1/2-1 inch when it’s attached to the base. The inspector said that it’s normal because the wiggling is there to keep the baby in the carseat upon impact as well as distributing the force over the entire car seat. If the seat is firmly in the base, the baby would feel more of a dislodging force upon impact. The force felt is also more concentrated and would do more damage.
Hi Leon, Unfortunately I think the car seat inspector didn’t really know what they were talking about as none of what you said really makes any sense. Was this person a currently certified child passenger safety technician? If so, I’m not sure where they gleamed this additional “knowledge” from because it’s not something they were taught in the standardized training curriculum.
As long as the lower anchor connectors are securely attached (indicator has turned green) to the lower anchor bars in the vehicle AND the angle is correct as per the level indicators (bubble touching the line) your base is secure and you shouldn’t worry. The slight movement from side-to-side is normal for all seats that have rigid latch attachments because the lower anchor bars in the vehicle are wider than the connectors on the carseat. HTH! Good luck!
I purchased the Nina pipa and seem to be having issues having the bubble lining up. I tried to install it in my bmw 330i which has somewhat sloped seats and was just wondering on where I should place the towel or the foam to get it in proper position?
Hi Lindsay, I just want to make sure you have the “kickstand” down. If you do, and it’s still not enough recline to get the bubble level to touch the line – fold the kickstand back up and put a tightly rolled towel or piece of foam pool noodle in that spot where the kickstand would be if it was being used. You might have to use the seatbelt instead of the rigid LATCH connectors in this case. HTH!
Do they have any idea of when the 2016 models will be out? I would love to get one without the crazy stickers plastered all over it, but since you cannot pick 2015 or 2016 when ordering online, I would like to wait until they come out before ordering, to have a greater chance of a 2016 one showing up (instead of a left over 2015 model). 🙂
ASRK – call Nuna customer service. The 2016 models are probably out already. You can ask if there are any new fashions for 2016. If you buy a PIPA in a new fashion you are guaranteed not to get an older date of manufacture.
We purchased this carseat in the fall of 2014 & used for the first full year. So I thought I’d put my thoughts.
PROS:
**The LATCH system & stability leg
**The extended sun cover
**Very easy to get seat in & out of base
**Worked well with Uppababy Vista carseat (with adapters)
**Light & easy to carry
**Harness easy to snap & unsnap
**Fit comfortably in both Honda Civic & Kia Sorento
CONS:
**Shoulder cushions are too small. Baby’s neck got seatbelt marks a few times
**We were in a constant state of losing & finding the crotch guard which pops off all the time
**Fabric cover began to develop holes at about six months.
IMPORTANT ADVICE: I love this carseat & would recommend it. However, when buying one, make sure that the seat cover has canvas fabric (contrast from the synthetic seat cover). At about 6 months, the stretchy fabric started to get holes where it wrapped around the seat base. I contacted their very-hard-to-reach customer service. They sold me a replacement seat cover which had canvas fabric along the outer edges so I’m sure they know that this is an issue. Personally, I think they should provide these replacement covers free of cost as it’s a design flaw and couldn’t possibly result from anything me or my baby did to compromise the fabric.
I meant to say it worked with my Uppababy Vista stroller, not carseat
How much was the replacement
Hello, thank you for such a helpful review. I am curious about two things.
1) Has anyone used this car seat in a 2009 (or similar year model) Honda CR-V? I have read varying things about compatibility in different versions of product manuals found online. I have emailed customer support but have not heard back yet.
2) Forgive the basic question, but with the Euro locking system without the base, why would one purchase the additional base(s) at $160 USD each? Is it actually safe to use the non-base installation method?
Thanks so much!
Hi ssa, I don’t have any experience with the Pipa in that generation of CR-V, sorry. Try asking your question on the forum, you might have better luck. http://www.car-seat.org/forumdisplay.php?f=2
Regarding installation without the base – it’s very safe as long as it’s done correctly but it’s not convenient and generally it’s not something you want to have to re-do every time you take the carseat out of the vehicle. Most parents opt for additional bases if baby is going to be riding in other vehicles (Dad/Grandma/Baby Sitter, etc) on a regular basis. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the response!
Hello, I’m looking for some help in deciding if this seat will fit in the back of my husbands Honda Civic coupe. The Nuna Pipa is not available in any of my local stores and before I commit to adding it on my registry Id like some assurance it could work. The length is listed as 26.1 but I suspect that is upright rather than installed? I realize it must vary from vehicle to vehicle but what is realistic to expect?
Thanks!
Keeley
Hi Keeley,
I think it’s reasonable to think that it will fit but I haven’t tried it in a Civic Coupe so I can’t say for sure. The best advice I can give you is to order it from someplace that has an easy return policy in case it doesn’t work out. And make sure you try it out as soon as you get it so you have time to figure out another option if need be. Good luck!
HI,
I have a silly question. Can the huge warning labels be taken off without ruining the fabric or leaving a sticky mark?
Thanks!
Hi Cindy,
Unfortunately, there is no way to get around the labels – which are required for the seat to meet current federal safety standards. They aren’t sewn-on patches and they aren’t stickers so I have no idea how it would even be possible to remove them. But the good news is that they were able to move the warning labels up higher on the cover so they are a little less obnoxious now. I have a picture here: https://carseatblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Nuna-ABC-2015-warning-labels-moved.jpg
HTH!
Hi Ryan,
We’re debating between the Nuna and the Uppa Baby Mesa. We bought the Uppa Baby Vista stroller but were swayed to consider this brand due to the softer/eco materials, larger canopy and load leg. The advantages we see to sticking with the Uppa brand is the 1 click detachment and side collision protection (which the Nuna doesn’t have to my understanding). Any advice or other consideration when choosing between the two?
Thanks!
Don’t know if you are going to have to carry the infant seat a lot but the pipa is SO light. Seriously so light. The Mesa is so heavy compared to it. Add 15 lbs of baby and you will don’t be able to lift the Mesa without work!!
I just purchased the Nuna Pipa online and when we opened the box and tried it out the canopy is really close to the handle (maybe 1″ clearance at the most). This surprised me as the Pipa the wife and I tried out at a local store had a lot of room in between the handle and the canopy.
Was there a recent redesign that made the canopy even larger or the handle shorter?
Hi Ryan – I am not aware of any updates to the handle or the canopy. This is the best picture I have showing the clearance between the two in the model I have: https://carseatblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Nuna-Pipa-Dream-Drape.jpg
If yours looks different, call Nuna customer service to ask about it. Keep me posted!
So if it is between the Nuna Pipa and the Chicco Keyfit which would you recommend? This is our first baby and we just can’t decide. The salesman at the store was really promoting the Nuna as the better seat but I wonder if he’s interest was really just the higher price. I typically start my research with Consumer Reports but they don’t have any reviews of the Nuna Pipa.
Hi Karen – congrats on your first! Honestly, the Chicco KeyFit 30 is a great seat. And most KeyFit 30 owners have no regrets. It’s easy to install, easy to use and won’t break the bank – especially if you need more than 1 extra base. However, if you can take advantage of the rigid LATCH and load leg feature on the Pipa, and your budget can handle the price – I think you’ll be very happy. HTH!
Can anyone recommend a universal rain cover that works well with the nuna pipa?
Hi Kate – I don’t have any info on rain covers, sorry! Did you call Nuna Customer Service? If not, that would be my first suggestion. Good luck! Let me know if you find a good solution.
I love my Pipa. Actually, we have Nuna everything for our baby. My only complaint is the cleaning. It’s hard to clean the seat because unless you take the seat apart, the cover won’t come off.
Which Nuna Stroller did you get? I’m very convinced we’ll get the Pipa, but I’d like a system. And I haven’t seen great reviews on the Nuna strollers. What’s your experience?
We bought the Pipa and love it! May I ask how do you remove the cover for cleaning?
THANK YOU for the AWESOME reviews!!!! I know this is a tough question to answer…but Nuna vs Orbit: which would you choose? I am debating between the Stokke stroller (which has an adapter for the Nuna) and The Orbit system. Thank you!
I notice that your cushion and carseat only have warning labels on one side. After looking at a lot of pictures online, I am noticing that these labels are not only photoshopped out of the product pictures, but there are actually FOUR giant warning labels (one on each side of the cushion, and one on each side of the inside of the carseat). I read a review from someone on another site, and they bought the carseat not realizing there were so many labels, called the company, and the company stated that they had gotten a few complaints, and were working towards figuring out a way to change it. What year model did you guys test out, that only had two labels? I am curious if it is a newer model, or if they just sent you one with less labels, so it would look less hideous when you did the review. I would hands down use this carseat because I like the features, and how it looks sleek…..until those four warning labels are slapped on here. In my opinion, it really ruins the look of the carseat. Two labels is already enough, but four?!?!
@ASRK – the Nuna PIPA pictured in the review is one of the first ever made. Apparently NHTSA is now requiring all carseat manufacturers to add more labels to rear-facing seats. If they don’t add the labels, the seat will fail to meet the appropriate federal safety standards and the manufacturer will have to recall it. In other words – all infant carseats now have these large obnoxious labels. It’s not just the Pipa. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!
UGH! Its okay, I wont blame you. 😉
But seriously, enough with so many stickers. Maybe they should spend more time putting one sticker on the seat, and requiring parents to take a carseat safety training class before leaving the hospital instead. Its amazing what some people do with their carseats/children/cars. Last year, I had to inform a mom that a Graco Nautilus is not meant for rear-facing (which is how she had been using it for several months). EEEK!
We bought the Pipa, I love it and WANT TO USE IT, but not sure I can. Our Porsche Panamera has very low sloped seats (as described in the review) and I cannot get the bubble to “hit the line” so I am not sure we can use the seat. I have tried a foam pool and folded towel, but then it raises the seat so much that the LATCH connectors are not long enough to reach the cars hooks and actually latch. Any suggestions?
@Julian – your only option is to use a foam noodle/rolled towel to achieve the necessary recline angle and use the seatbelt with the built-in lockoff. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to take advantage of the rigid LATCH feature but you should be able to achieve a very solid installation with the seatbelt and lockoff so don’t worry about it being less safe. HTH!
If you were picking between the pipa or the cybex aton q – which would you go with? Going to be installing on one of the side seats of an suv. Thanks!
Can the Nuna Pipa be paired with the Britax B-Agile stroller? If so, with what adaptor?
I had a chance to play with one of these in a store a few weeks ago, and I noticed one thing that disturbed me and I’m curious if you tried this. Did you find the seat belt lockoff didn’t really lock the belt fully? I was able to add slack to the belt by pulling on it near the lockoff. While this isn’t a real-world use, I’ve heard of some car seats having issues with the belt loosening after some use, and just based on the fact that I was able to loosen it with one hand makes me wonder if that lockoff really does what it needs to do. Did you try having the base installed with the seat belt over a longer period of time? I talked to an instructor at the store and she said she had noticed the same issue with the lockoff, so between the two of us I’d imagine we had the belt installed correctly.
From your brief ABC expo pre-release review (I believe) I took a chance on the Nuna Pipa, as there wasn’t much user feedback when I got it in January. I really do love it compared to my experience with other infant seats, and I am very happy, 4 months in use, with it. But I wanted to mention two issues: (1) when the seat is set up for small babies–infant pillow and lowest crotch buckle setting–the tightening is jerky and often gets “stuck.” Problem got better with tips from forums to not clip chest clip until after tightening, and it is totally resolved now that I have removed pillow, changed buckle slot and raised shoulder straps a level; (2) the dream drape is great for when seat is stationary, but if you have it engaged while carrying the seat by the handle, even the slighted rub against your hip or leg will disengage the magnets and cause the drape to flap all over baby. I mostly babywear so I don’t lug the seat around a lot, but it would be nice for the drape to stay secure while toting the carrier in the rain or snow.
Thank you for the thorough review. As always your site is invaluable.
@ jordansmom – congrats on #3! I would contact Nuna customer service and ask specifically about that. That question deserves to be answered by an engineer. Personally, I wouldn’t have a problem with it but I don’t want to speak for them. Let me know what they have to say about that.
I know, I know…. This review is long overdue but great carseats deserve thorough reviews. And thorough reviews take time. In this case they took lots and lots of time. Lol.
Hopefully it was worth the wait. 🙂
So glad to read your review! Perfect timing since we are getting ready to pull the trigger and purchase a Pipa for baby #3 due in July! Do you know if Nuna will allow the stability leg to be used when the base is installed over a spare tire storage compartment area, ie. middle row/center seat of an Odyssey? Thanks for the comprehensive review!
Hey I was wondering where this review went, since you had like the very first one last fall;-) Seriously, though, kudos to Nuna for making a seat with rigid LATCH and a load leg! It’s been many years since I’ve seen a Britax BabySafe. That seat was well ahead of its time, with a price to match. Fast forward to today, and we have plenty of infant seats selling at $250 or $300, with lots of great safety features. Like you said, new parents have it a lot easier when it comes to safety, but perhaps much harder in choosing which of the many great infant seats to buy. You certainly can’t go wrong with the Pipa, though!